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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949227">The Rookie</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrynth/pseuds/Amrynth'>Amrynth</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU August, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:22:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrynth/pseuds/Amrynth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Vax and Molly are buddy detectives solving necromancy mysteries for the Raven Queen.  But will their opposite personalities get in the way of their cooperation?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Rookie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>AU August Day 16: Detectives.  It ended up a little more buddy cop than I intended and that's okay.  I proposed this to a few friends with the summary and got more than a few "YES"es as the response.  So here you go!  This was a lot of fun to work on actually.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Woo!  I love this part!”  </p>
<p>Vax’ildan bit the end of his tongue to keep his thoughts to himself.  He’d only recently been assigned his new partner and he had to assume this was some sort of punishment.  Or that the Raven Queen had a very specific sense of humor.  But the recently harvested soul had been assigned to him as his new rookie.  </p>
<p>“Can I hit the siren?  Please?”  </p>
<p>He wanted to say no.  Vax liked to remain unseen as long as possible, even if he was technically not an assassin anymore, it was still instinct and survival as a cop.  But the rookie was the opposite, apparently he wanted to be the center of attention, to be seen as much as Vax wished to remain anonymous.</p>
<p>“Knock yourself out, Mollymauk.”</p>
<p>The tiefling grinned at him and slammed his hand onto the button with far more enthusiasm than necessary.  Their car was already tearing down the street in hot pursuit of the suspect.  With the siren and lights coming into play, Vex had to admit that they moved through the mortal traffic with a little more ease.  Most of the mortals didn’t even know what they were moving for, pulling over to the side of the road to check their phones or pulling into mini-mart parking lots they hadn’t initially planned to go to.  It wasn’t like pulling over for the mortal police where the driver knew they were getting out of the way, but it had the same effect of reducing the number of cars between them and the vehicle they were pursuing.  </p>
<p>Problem was, the vehicle they were chasing was a motorcycle, slipping between cars and putting as much space between themself and the cops behind them as they could.  </p>
<p>“This is Vessar, if you can close off the end of the alley between Fifth and Sixth, I think it could be a good point for a bottleneck.  There will be nowhere for them to run,” Vax slammed the radio back into place.</p>
<p>Mostly it was the rookie’s job to stay quiet and pay attention on a job like this.  If they were issuing standard necromancy tickets that would be one thing, Vax would have been happy to let Molly slap some fines on newly summoned skeletons.  But this was real work and he just needed to let the experienced hands take care of it.  </p>
<p>They came to a halt blocking the end of the alley and Vax leapt over the car to kick Mollymauk’s door shut as he started to push it open.  </p>
<p>“Stay here newbie.  This isn’t a job for kids,” Vax said.  </p>
<p>Maybe it was mean.  But he’d tried to explain to the Raven Queen on the assignment that he didn’t work with others.  He was a lone wolf who preferred to work alone.  He’d had a partner once, and until he could work shoulder to shoulder with his twin again, Vax wouldn’t accept a bad replacement for her.  Especially a bad, gaudy replacement.  </p>
<p>Vax drew his daggers and stalked down the alleyway, slipping into the shadows until the suspect seemed like they were the only person in the alley and just a car blocking the only exit.  When he had asked for the other side of the alley to be closed off, he’d meant it literally.  On the other side, the living part of the world, probably there was temporary construction barricading the other end.  But here, in the world between the living and the dead, the alley had been drawn tight and closed at the far end like someone had pulled a seam too tight. </p>
<p>“I know you’re there.  Show yourself.”  The suspect called down the alley.  Vax hadn’t known who they were but following a tip had sent them fleeing and that was enough reason to follow up and ask them some questions.  Her voice was younger than he expected, feminine and trembling just at the end of her words.  Was it anger or fear?  </p>
<p>She dismounted from her motorcycle and drew a weapon in a single, smooth motion; a rapier.   The blade glowed faintly in her hands and, to Vax’s horror, he did too.  </p>
<p>“Peekaboo.”  She sounded pleased behind her motorcycle helmet, swivelling to orient on him.  </p>
<p>She was fast.  Just as fast as Vax and the rapier gave her better reach if he didn’t want to run the risk of losing a dagger by throwing it.  He held his own for a few rounds until the tip of her rapier caught the edge of his armor and sank deep into his ribs.  Vax dropped to one knee and a dagger clattered to the ground.</p>
<p>Fuck.</p>
<p>A flash of cold and silver-blue announced Mollymauk appearing on the other side of the helmeted rider.  He didn’t glow until she withdrew her sword from Vax’s ribs to reveal the glowing blade and Mollymauk lit up in his flashy colors and brilliant silver.  </p>
<p>Vax wanted to be mad, but he felt himself grinning instead.  He regained his dagger and within a few moves, they had gotten the suspect under control.  Molly had disarmed her with a deft move of his scimitar and her rapier was currently tucked into his belt while Vax got her into cuffs that would hold all but the worst of fiends.  </p>
<p>“Get her helmet, would you?” Vax asked.  He paused a beat before adding.  “Partner?”  </p>
<p>Mollymauk grinned and reached down to pull the helmet and reveal who they had been chasing.  Brown hair, laced with silver fell free of the helmet and the woman pinned beneath Vax’s knee twisted to get away.  Her face looked familiar and Vax saw the family resemblance after a few moments of getting her back under control.  </p>
<p>“Cassandra de Rolo?”</p>
<p>She stilled immediately, wide blue eyes staring off into some middle distance.  </p>
<p>“I knew your brother, when I was on the other side.  Cassandra, you’re under arrest for questioning about Delilah and Sylas Briarwood.”  </p>
<p>Vax had no trouble getting her into the back of the car, hearing her last name had taken the fight out of her and she slumped into the back seat.  </p>
<p>“We make a good team,” Mollymauk said, sauntering over to the car.  </p>
<p>“Yeah.  Maybe.  You’re bleeding a little,” Vax pointed at the side of Molly’s neck.  </p>
<p>“Self inflicted.  I was a bloodhunter in life.  And less than you’re bleeding I’d like to add.”</p>
<p>Despite himself, Vax laughed.  “Just get in the car.  No siren.”</p>
<p>Molly made a face adjacent to a point.  “But that’s the best part.  No, can we stop for ice cream, actually.  Do you want ice cream?  Hey, Cassandra, do you want ice cream?”</p>
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